After the mating flight. . . -- Igen Weyr

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Date Posted: 09:36:40 06/17/01 Sun
Author: T'kaal and Mnementh
Subject: After the mating flight. . .

The morning sun's rays slicing through the weyr's darkness alight on T'kaal's eyelids. He slowly becomes aware of the world around him: the spacy weyr, Ralek's warm body beside his, their two dragons slumbering peacefully on stone couches. Suddenly, his stomach growls, and he realizes from the sun's position that he must have overslept. Worse than overslept. Carefully, so as not to waken Ralek, he gets out of bed. After a last glance at his weyrmate's sleeping form, he tucks the blanket around her more tightly, then exits the weyr. His blue eyes water for a moment, not being accustomed to the bright sun yet. After regaining his sight, T'kaal examines the path down. He picks his way carefully down the steep pathway, and is relieved to make it to the Weyr's floor in one piece. He would much rather have had Mnementh fly him down, but he had been sleeping so soundly. T'kaal smiles softly at the thought of the three remaining forms in the weyr.
Shaking himself lightly to clear his mind, he enters the kitchens, snatching a piping hot roll from a baking sheet. He wanders the kitchens, wondering if the baker were the only other person awake yet. Finding no other foods, he has to assume that he and the bread-baker are the early birds. He sighs and grabs a slab of raw herdbeast meat. He slaps it into a pan and finds a heated stove to fry it on. The sizzling smell of meat reminds him that he hasn't had his daily klah, so he finds a pot of the bittersweet 'nectar' and places it on the stove to warm. By then, it was time to flip the meat. He very nearly flips it out of the pan, but catches the errant meat just in time. He grins to himself as he sets it back in the pan, nursing burnt fingers. He is grateful to whatever previous cook left the pan of chilled water. Perhaps someone as clumsy as me? he thinks as he soaks his hands in the water. At last, the troublesome meat is cooked, through and through. A relieved T'kaal removes the pan from the stove and slides the meat to his plate. He discovers that the slab is too large for one person to eat, so he cuts it in half and puts it on another plate, which he sets on the stove to keep warm. Just as he starts to bite into his meat, he remembers the klah and dashes to fetch it. Finally, he is able to sit down to properly enjoy his meal. As he chews the gristly meat, he thinks about yesterday. Here is where it finally sinks in that he is, in fact, Weyrleader of Ista. His eyes widen; he hadn't anticipated that. Well, to tell the truth, he hadn't anticipated anything. He hadn't even been confident Mnementh would catch Taliath. But she had, and he was now Weyrleader. Well, he'd have to see if any of his friends would like to transfer. Miryam, for example. She was a good rider. Wonder how she is at Threadfall. . . In actuality, T'kaal wonders how anyone would be at Fall.
Which reminds him of something. He needs to look at Threadfall charts. With a gentle prodding of the bronze's mind, he awakens Mnementh.
{What is it?} comes the sleepy response.
~Could you get me the Threadfall charts?~
Mnementh stirs drowsily, great head swiveling to examine the weyr.
{Are they those maps and tables with numbers on them?}
~Indeed. Can you please try and not wake the other two when you bring them?
The only reply given is a frumpy feeling of accordance. Mnementh ambles quietly out of the weyr and into the warm sunshine. He spreads his wings to the new day and swoops from the ledge, talons tucked to his empty stomac, clutching the charts. T'kaal exits the kitchens to meet his bronze, grinning up at Mnementh. "Thanks!" he calls to the dragon on high.
{No problem, T'kaal. Here are your charts.}
T'kaal chuckles at the disdainful snort in the dragon's mindvoice. "They are important, lovey. Thank you."
{Now I am going back to our weyr to sleep.}
T'kaal gives an amused grin at his receding dragon. Then, he turns back to the kitchen's tables to consult the charts. He spreads out the hides gently, keeping them from rolling up again with his mug of klah on one side and his meat plate on the other. He scans the charts, having half-understood them when he was a boy. His father T'vril and his mother Kalana had taught him as a boy. Fond memories of his parents well up, and are set aside for now, as bits and pieces of how to read the charts come back to him. He scrutinizes the hides, finally deciding that the next Fall was, thankfully, under Fort Weyr's jurisdiction.
~Mnementh?~ he prods his slumbering bronze.
{What is it now. . .} he grumbles.
~Could you please inform the dragons Jetuth, weyrmate of Weyrwoman Litisha, and bronze Flagenth, rider is Weyrleader J'lar, both of Fort Weyr? Inform them that Threadfall is due tomorrow at approximately. . .~ He scrunches his eyebrows, converting times. ~9:18 Fort Time, at Ruatha Hold.~
{I will do so. . .}
T'kaal sighs as his dragon's mindvoice fades. So much for his peaceful morning. . . . As soon as Mnementh gets back, he must go to the meeting cliff. He climbs back up the path to his and Ralek's weyr, and softly calls to her.
"Ralek?"
He enters and shakes her gently. "Wake up. We need to go to a meeting. Threadfall's due at Ruatha." He sighs gustily and waits outside for his weyrmate. . .

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Replies:

Mnementh returns to pick up his rider. . . -- Mnementh and T'kaal, 10:47:16 06/17/01 Sun
SCRATCH THE LAST HALF OF THAT! Sharding stupid people contriving to be weyrleader. . . *Sigh* (NT) -- T'kaal's nebech of a player, 09:04:40 06/18/01 Mon
- (ooc- Calm down, T'kaal, you had no idea of knowing. No use denting your computer with that head of your's, eh?) -- Ralek and flits..., 11:22:48 06/18/01 Mon
  - (OOC-Hehe. Thanks. I'll remember not to destroy the precious brain cells I have.) -- T'kaal and flits, 22:14:38 06/18/01 Mon
    - (ooc- LoL, yes, wouldn't want Ista to fall ill due to a WeyrLeader who'd beaten all sense from himself with his constant bangings against the table.) -- Ralek, 16:56:55 06/19/01 Tue
      - T'kaal finishes eating as well. . . -- T'kaal and Flits, 21:09:26 07/04/01 Wed